LEGO PlayStation could become a working PS1 emulator with BrickStation

LEGO’s new PlayStation set is meant to sit on a shelf. BrickStation has other plans for it. A new emulation mod kit is in development for the brick-built version of Sony’s original PlayStation, with a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W sitting at the centre of the idea. The aim is simple: fit a working PS1 emulation system inside the LEGO console, add HDMI and controller support, and keep the exterior largely unchanged. It’s a neat concept. More importantly, it isn’t being pitched as a pile of loose boards, cables and adapters for owners to figure out themselves. BrickStation is planned as a purpose-built module shaped around the internal space of the LEGO PlayStation. Drop it into the model, connect the required cables, load the software and you’d have a LEGO console capable of running PlayStation games through emulation. At least, if the finished hardware delivers on the current plan.

A Raspberry Pi fits inside the LEGO console

The Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W is expected to handle the computing side. It’s tiny, inexpensive and already capable of running original PlayStation software through common emulation setups. Its size matters here.

The LEGO PlayStation isn’t a hollow plastic box waiting for a computer. LEGO’s 1,911-piece model recreates the original grey console with a working disc lid mechanism, physical buttons, a brick-built controller and removable miniature scenes based on Gran Turismo and Ape Escape. BrickStation needs to share space with those parts.

The current concept places the electronics inside a custom injection-moulded ABS base. This module would occupy one of the areas normally used for the removable LEGO game scenes, giving the Raspberry Pi and related electronics a fixed home without forcing owners to tear apart major sections of the build.

Production LEGO sets will still need to be measured and tested before the final dimensions can be locked down. Renderings and early prototypes can get a project a long way, but fitting electronics into a finished LEGO structure leaves very little room for error. A few millimetres can matter.

HDMI and modern controllers are part of the plan

BrickStation isn’t aiming to turn the model into a self-contained handheld computer with a screen hidden somewhere inside. Video would go through HDMI to a television or monitor, much like a conventional mini console. Modern controller support is planned too.

The project lists wireless controllers alongside wired USB models, which should remove the need to rely on LEGO’s brick-built controller for anything beyond display. The LEGO controller remains part of the visual recreation rather than becoming an unlikely mass of working plastic buttons and sensors.

The console’s existing on/off mechanism could gain a real function, though. BrickStation’s developers plan to connect the LEGO button mechanism to the electronics, letting owners start the internal system from the console itself. It’s a minor detail, but a useful one. A mod hidden inside a model becomes much more convincing when the controls on its case actually do something.

This isn’t a loose Raspberry Pi project

Anyone can put a Raspberry Pi next to a LEGO model and call the job finished. BrickStation is taking a more integrated route. The planned retail kit uses a moulded enclosure made to fit the set, rather than asking buyers to print brackets, trim plastic or work out where loose components should sit. It’s closer to fitting an internal upgrade than starting a weekend electronics project from scratch. Cooling may prove one of the trickier parts.

The Pi Zero 2 W doesn’t produce huge amounts of heat, but an enclosed LEGO chassis gives warm air fewer places to escape. Cable routing, storage access and the placement of HDMI and USB connections need similar attention.

Software remains another open question. The project hasn’t locked in a final operating system, emulation package or storage setup yet. PS1 emulation itself is well within reach of the Pi Zero 2 W, but the quality of the finished experience will rely heavily on how neatly those pieces come together.

LEGO’s PlayStation arrives first

The official LEGO PlayStation set is scheduled for release in October 2026. It contains 1,911 pieces and recreates Sony’s original console at roughly 26 cm wide, 19 cm deep and a little over 6 cm high. BrickStation doesn’t have a confirmed release date or retail price yet.

Crowdfunding is expected to play a part in getting the kit into production, and the hardware remains under development. Final casing, ports, internal layout and software could change before buyers get their hands on one.

For now, the idea is easy to grasp. Build the LEGO PlayStation. Put a Raspberry Pi inside it. Connect it to a TV. Play PS1 games. A display model with an HDMI cable suddenly becomes something rather different.

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